Fan the Flames
by Panruru
Summary: After being abducted by the one person she'd thought she could always trust, Rose is soon faced with some difficult choices. How far is she willing to go for the man who betrayed her? Meanwhile, the Doctor's increasingly reckless behavior lands him in hot water when he becomes imprisoned in a city that's about to literally catch on fire. Inspired by fogsblue's story Chase the Dark.
1. Chapter 1

This fic is based off of fogsblue's fantastic story _Chase the Dark_ (located at the Archive of Our Own) and kicks off in the middle of chapter 9. The part written in italics at the beginning of this chapter came directly from there and was not written by me.

Obviously I do not own Doctor Who and I am not super familiar with the lore so if I make any mistakes in regard to canon that's probably why. Feel free to let me know what I'm doing wrong!

This fic can also be read on my AO3 account under the username lethargy.

Warning: this story contains dark!Doctor, non-graphic violence, and dubiously consensual drug use (not between Rose and the Doctor). This chapter also contains a bit of very mild non-con near the end.

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 **Fan the Flames  
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 _"UNIT might work have worked with you in the past, but do not assume they've left themselves completely vulnerable to Time Lords. And you should remember, Torchwood, they spent over a century learning what they could about you, even if the organisation is now run by a friend."_

 _Narrowing his eyes, he focused on Sarah Jane, unable to really believe the woman who was once his treasured companion and friend would threaten him. Because everything she said was just that. A threat, a warning, and one the Doctor didn't doubt._

 _"Do you understand, Doctor?" Sarah Jane asked._

The Doctor hesitated, his mind whirling with conflicting thoughts. He didn't truly think that Torchwood would be able to keep Rose away from him, despite the advanced technology at their disposal in comparison to other humans on this planet. And yet ... Sarah Jane was right; it was very likely that they'd been searching for a way to combat Time Lords since suffering under the tyranny of the Master. If they decided to interfere between he and Rose, it could be ... problematic. And waging a war against the entire organization, with Rose caught in the middle, wasn't something he wanted to do.

And it could come to that, he knew, if Rose wasn't willing to see sense.

Sarah Jane waited, staring him down with steel in her eyes. His body thrummed with tension as he looked back at the house. He couldn't let her stay there, hidden away from him; he needed her at his side where he could watch over her, always and forever. Everything he'd done had been for her. But she wanted some space, she'd said; she needed to think. She needed to think about _leaving him_. What if he continued waiting and she decided to go to Jack for help anyway? What if she decided she didn't want forever with him, after all?

The Doctor's eyes hardened; his hands clenched into fists. What the hell was he doing, standing around arguing while Rose was in there thinking up ways to get away from him? If she didn't trust him right now, then he would just have to show her that he could be trusted. And he couldn't do that if she wasn't even with him. She still loved him, he knew she did, and so long he kept her safe they would have forever to work out the little things. But he couldn't do that if she decided she'd rather hide from him than face their problems head on.

The Doctor's shoulders squared and he started stalking back toward the house. Fine, then. If she couldn't make up her mind, he would just have to do it for her. After everything he'd gone through to get her back, he wasn't willing to risk having her run from him. She had promised him forever, and he fully intended to make her keep that promise.

"Doctor!" he heard Sarah Jane call after him, but he paid her no mind. He would have to be quick about this, he thought; he had little doubt that his old friend would make good on her threat the second he stepped through the door.

Even so, he paused in the hall just before the entrance to Rose's room and took a deep breath, steeling himself against the pained expression Rose was sure to make when she realized he wasn't going to do as she'd asked. He had never really thought it would come to this, but he couldn't continue to live with this painful separation between them. Rose was going to be very upset, but everything would be so much better once he got her back into the TARDIS.

He stepped into the room and Rose looked up from the overstuffed chair where she sat sipping a mug of tea. She was still crying softly, and when she saw him she drew in a breath before spitting, "What the _hell_ are you doing back?"

"I'm sorry Rose," he told her seriously, "I understand you think you need some space right now, but I can't let you stay here anymore. Come on, we're going back to the TARDIS." He grabbed her wrist just hard enough that she wouldn't be able to twist from his grasp and pulled her up to her feet.

Rose's eyes widened and the mug slipped from her hand and smashed on the floor. "Let go of me!" she demanded shrilly, trying to yank her arm back. She grabbed at the chair with her free hand, attempting to anchor herself. Growing impatient, he bent down and forcibly threw her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. Rose's limbs beat against him as he briskly strode away from the room and her shouts were loud enough that the human police would probably be called. But that was alright, because the two of them wouldn't be there anymore by the time they arrived. As he walked out the front door he saw Sarah Jane standing on the porch, a phone to her ear and condemnation in her eyes as she glared at him furiously.

"As fast as you can, he just left the house and he's got her slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes," she was saying, much to his irritation. The Doctor's right hand was occupied with holding Rose's struggling body to his shoulder; with his left, he reached out and snatched the phone out of Sarah Jane's hand. He dashed it against the sidewalk and it broke into pieces with a satisfying crack. He moved a little faster, almost jogging now, and felt a deep sense of relief when they reached the TARDIS and he was able to slip inside and throw the doors shut. He put Rose down but didn't release his arm from around her waist, concerned that she would run straight out the doors the second he let her go. Instead, he pulled her over to the console and contained her flailing limbs as best he could while he quickly sent the TARDIS back into the vortex.

For the first time in two days, the knot of anxiety in his chest finally loosened. He had his Rose back and they were in the TARDIS together, safe and sound. Everything was going to be okay.

Pain shot through his core as Rose sent an elbow into his gut, forcing the air from his lungs.

"What the hell are you thinking?" she was screaming, as he was dimly aware she had been doing all along. "Take me back right now, _right now_ , do you hear me? I'm so done with this! If you're going to act like a, like, like _this_ then I want no part in it, for god's sake, _what the hell happened to you_? This isn't you!" Her eyes welled up with fresh tears, and a knot of guilt twisted in his already aching stomach. Rose pushed against his chest with her free hand while simultaneously attempting to yank her other arm out of his grasp, desperately trying to pry herself away from him. "And for god's sake let go of me or I swear, I will _never_ trust you again, do you understand? _How could you_?"

"Okay," the Doctor gasped through the pain. "Okay. I get it. I screwed up and I'm sorry, Rose, you don't know how much. But I can't stand being apart from you after I only just got you back, and I know I hurt you but I'm going to spend the rest of our lives making it up to you. And guess what, thanks to me, that's going to be a long fucking time, so you're going to have to forgive me eventually."

Rose's body stilled but her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Let me make myself very clear, Doctor," she said in a low, frigid tone that he didn't believe he'd ever heard from her before. "If you keep disregarding my wishes and trying to control me, I will _never_ forgive you. Look at yourself. You just dragged me back into the TARDIS, _against my will_ , and now you're threatening to keep me here, again _against my will_. You're out of your bloody mind and you need to take me back to Sarah Jane's house _right now_ or I am never going to trust you again, and then I really will have to leave you. And I don't want to do that, I really don't, and I know that you don't want that either." Her expression softened just a little at her last words, quietly pleading for him to do as she'd asked.

The Doctor wavered. All he wanted in the universe was to be with Rose and to make her happy. He had never considered that he might not be able to do both. He wanted so badly to put an end to her pain, to do what she wished ... but what she wished was to be apart from him, and he couldn't let that happen. He had already let go of her once; he wasn't going to do it again, not even for her.

He looked away for a moment, finding it difficult to hold her gaze as he gave her the answer she didn't want to hear. "You _can_ trust me, Rose, and I'm going to prove it to you. But you have to give me a chance, and you can't do that if you're not with me. I'm so sorry, love," he said regretfully, "but I can't bring you back to Sarah Jane's if it means that you're just going to keep trying to run from me. Maybe in a few weeks when you've cooled down we can go back and visit her, but right now-"

Rose's face went blank as he spoke, and she suddenly let out a scream of deep frustration. She shoved against him hard and he finally allowed her to slip from his grasp. Rose's mouth opened and she looked like she was going to start shouting, but then she closed it again and shook her head as though she were so upset that she was at a loss for words. Letting out a final growl of fury, she turned on her heel and all but ran out of the control room.

The Doctor let her go. As painful as it was to watch her walk away from him again, at least he knew she wouldn't get very far.

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Rose stalked through the corridors of the TARDIS, almost shaking from the force of her emotions. Rage, because the Doctor had sunk to a new low in dragging her kicking and screaming back into the TARDIS. Grief, because what he had just done had been unforgivable and she wasn't sure their relationship could ever recover from it. And under that, fear, because something fundamental must have changed in the Doctor for him to act this way and she had no idea what to expect from this strange man who had replaced him. He had basically just kidnapped her, after all. Kidnapped! By the Doctor of all people! And now he was holding her captive! Something inside him must have gone very wrong at some point, and she had no idea how to fix it.

Sighing deeply, Rose slowed and focused her attention back on her surroundings. As usual, she was nowhere near her old room which was where she really wanted to go, but she did spy the door to the kitchen. She went inside and poured herself a glass of water, then sat down at the table. The water kept stirring in her glass, and she realized she was shaking. She sniffed, her eyes burning with fresh tears. A sob tore itself from her chest and suddenly she was crying harder than she ever had in her life. She had been so happy only a few days earlier. But now...

The Doctor had gone crazy. Her home had become her prison. She didn't feel safe anymore and she had no one to turn to. She didn't even know where she was going to go after she finished her cup of water.

The walls of the TARDIS echoed with Rose's sobs.

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The Doctor could only wait so long before he had to go after her. He had waited for her for two days already, after all, and he just couldn't find it in himself to wait any longer. However, as he grew nearer to her location he could hear her crying almost hysterically and his chest ached with the knowledge that he had done that to her. He wanted to go to her, to hold her close and kiss away her tears, but he knew that he was the last person she wanted to see right now. He stood there for a while listening to her cry, but in the end he turned around and went back the way he'd come. He'd try again later, once she'd cooled down a bit.

He hung around the console room for a while, making a few small repairs that he'd been neglecting over the past few weeks while he'd been putting all his efforts into preventing Rose from pressing for answers. He had attempted to work on some of them during the two days she'd stayed with Sarah Jane, but he had been much too distracted to get anything done. Right now seemed like a good time for it, though; right now he _needed_ to be distracted or else he would spend all his time dwelling on the look in Rose's eyes when he told her he wouldn't fly the TARDIS back to Earth.

The work was occupying enough that it kept him busy for several hours until he absolutely couldn't stand not knowing how Rose was doing and he had to go find her again. He wiped his hands off with a rag and strode purposefully into the corridor. Ever since he had used the regeneration energy to change her DNA he had been able to feel Rose in his mind the way he could any other Time Lord, which made her much easier to find. It was comforting too, feeling her there, like a warm blanket that wrapped around his mind whenever she was near.

He followed the gentle tug of her presence and found her curled up on a lounge chair by the side of the pool. She was asleep, her expression gone soft and relaxed though her cheeks were still splotchy from tears. She must have been exhausted after crying so hard, he thought. Slowly and carefully, he slid his arms under her and lifted her against his chest. She shifted as he picked her up, her sleep disturbed despite his best efforts.

She blinked at him sleepily for a moment, but awareness soon entered her gaze and she glared at him resentfully. "Let me go," she whispered hoarsely, and he felt the knot of guilt in his stomach give another throb.

"Never again, love," he said quietly, then added, "Let's get to bed. You look exhausted."

Rose struggled slightly in his arms, though he didn't think she'd be too happy if he actually dropped her. "I don't want to go to bed with you. If you must insist on _being crazy_ and keeping me here, at least let me go back to my old room."

The Doctor sighed tiredly. "You don't have to - if it would make you feel better I'll go do something else while you sleep, alright?"

Rose didn't reply, but he could feel her glare boring a hole into his skull as he walked resolutely forward. It didn't take long to reach their room, and once there he put her down on the bed as gently as he could. "Just stay here for now, alright?" he said awkwardly, breaking the silence. "We'll talk more when you wake up."

Rose's answering glare could have frozen glaciers. "Get out."

"Right," he said, holding his hands up placatingly and carefully backing out of the room. He shut the door behind himself but only went as far as the other side of the corridor before he stopped and leaned against the wall. He waited there for long minutes, listening to her shuffle about their room getting ready for bed until finally the room went silent and he knew she'd gone to sleep. Even then he waited a long while, needing her to be truly asleep before he could risk going back into the room. At last, he walked back across the hall and quietly pushed the door open.

She had curled up into a ball at the edge of the bed, and he could see the path that fresh tears had taken before she'd fallen asleep. He stood before her and gazed down at her regretfully. Everything he did to try to keep her close only seemed to hurt her, to push her farther away. And he couldn't stand being apart from her.

Slowly and carefully, the Doctor brushed his fingertips over her temples and dived into her mind. He sought out the place that controlled her sleep cycle as he'd done several times in the past, and implanted in her mind a suggestion to deepen her sleep. Then he took off his suit and slid into the other side of the bed before pulling her back against him.

He worked one arm underneath her as he pulled her back against his chest; the other arm he wrapped around her waist before sliding his hand under the nightshirt she was wearing. (Not one of his, he noted with disappointment.) He allowed that hand to journey upward to brush the bottoms of her breasts, and then, since he suspected that when she was awake she wasn't going to let him do this for a very long time, he moved it higher still to cup one in his hand. Rose really did have the most fantastic breasts. His cock stirred a bit at the feeling of her nipple pressed against his palm, but he forced himself to take a deep breath and relax. He wouldn't take advantage of her, not like that.

He was reminded of the first day he had laid there next to her after getting her back. That time, she had woken at his touch and reciprocated most enthusiastically. But now...

Rose didn't trust him, she wasn't sure she wanted to be with him anymore; his world was basically falling to pieces around him. Maybe this was his punishment for daring to break the rules. There would be a certain irony, he supposed, for him to risk everything getting her back only to lose her as a consequence of the things he'd done to keep her.

Even so, for the moment, he felt like maybe everything would be alright. Rose was there with him, her back pressed to his chest, warm and there and _alive_. Even more so than the TARDIS, she felt like home to him. And it felt so good to be home.

Everything was going to work out for the best. He had to believe that, because there was simply no other option.


	2. Chapter 2

The dancers moved like wind given form. The music reached into the soul and invited one to sway to its beat. The food was a feast for the senses sending out a variety of mouth-watering aromas.

Rose would have loved it if it weren't for the company she was stuck with.

"This festival celebrates the harvest so it takes place every year, but there's a ceremony on the second day that you absolutely don't want to miss..." He was chattering on like usual as if nothing had changed between them, typical Doctor. Rose did her best to ignore him, taking in the fantastic sights with an uncharacteristic lack of enthusiasm. She'd rather be back at Sarah Jane's, holed up in the spare bedroom with a good book. Really, she'd rather be just about anywhere right now than here, with _him_.

It was good to be out of the TARDIS. With the way the Doctor had been acting lately she'd been afraid that he would refuse to let her leave altogether, but it seemed that he'd decided to continue his efforts to distract her instead. It wasn't going to work, of course, not ever again, and the Doctor had gone even more nutters than she'd suspected if he really thought it would.

Rose's plan at the moment was very simple: 1) Get back to 21st century London; 2) Contact Torchwood; 3) Hope like hell that Jack could think of a way to help her. It wasn't a great plan and she had no idea how she was going to accomplish the first step, but Plan B was to keep trying to convince the Doctor to stop being crazy and so far all her efforts on that front had been utterly ineffectual.

"...There will be a massive fire about ten years from now that burns the whole city to the ground, very tragic, it just wasn't the same after they rebuilt. Though, some of the resorts that sprung up later on were very-"

"I'm a bit thirsty, Doctor, could you get me a drink?" she interrupted. "I'm just going to sit down by the fountain for a minute."

The smile slipped from his face and and he frowned at her slightly. "I'd rather not have you wandering off just now, love; I wouldn't want to lose you in the crowd," he said with an uncomfortable expression that suggested he expected her to go running off the second he let go of her hand. Perhaps he wasn't quite so delusional as she'd thought, then.

Although the idea had crossed her mind, his suspicion was irritating and she rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Tempting as that may be, the last thing I want right now is to have to deal with _you_ tearing the market to pieces trying to find me and upsetting the locals. I would, however, very much like a minute to sit in the sun _by myself_ because the way you keep lurking behind me is making me want to scream. Is that too much to ask, Doctor?"

The Doctor looked conflicted and for a moment she was sure he was going to deny her request, but finally he sighed and led her over to the fountain. "I'll be right back, okay? Do you want anything else?"

"No," she said moodily, sitting on the stone ledge that ran around the fountain.

" _Stay right here_ , okay?" ordered the Doctor, holding her gaze sternly. "If I come back and you're gone, I'm not letting you out of the TARDIS for a week. Alright?"

Rose levelled him with a glare to let him know exactly how impressed she was with that statement.

" _Alright_?" he said again, his grip tightening on her arm.

"Alright," she said icily. Satisfied, he finally let her go and stepped away.

"I'll be right back," he said again, quite unnecessarily she thought, before walking briskly toward a busy stand that sold a variety of beverages.

With his gaze finally off her, Rose's posture sagged and she let out a deep breath. She shut her eyes to the bright sun and absently trailed a hand through the cool waters in the fountain. The clamor of the festival going on around her seemed to get louder: people talking, vendors advertising their wares, music and laughter ... everyone sounded like they were having a good time.

"Such a sad expression on such a lovely face. It is Maratino, pretty lady, what could cause you to show such a face today?"

"I'm sorry, Mara-what?" Rose questioned, her eyes snapping open. A young man stood before her holding a large number of scrolls under one arm. Unlike most of the natives she'd seen that day who wore minimal clothing made from thin fabrics, this man was wearing a long beige robe and had an intricately beaded necklace roped several times around his neck. (Rose herself was wearing a colorful outfit that wouldn't have been out of place on a beach, though it was considerably more modest than what most people there were wearing.)

"Maratino, of course," said the man, raising an eyebrow incredulously. "The largest festival this side of the eastern sea, it starts today. How long have you been sitting out in the sun?"

"Maratino, right," said Rose, trying to look like she knew what she was talking about. "I've just, ah, I've been traveling a lot lately and I guess the name of the festival slipped my mind."

"So you are a tourist, then? We get a lot of those during the festival. You picked a good time to visit, pretty lady; this year the temple is putting on an exhibition of some of our most holy artifacts, including an idol of the goddess Faila that has never been shown to the public before."

"That sounds lovely," she said, giving him a smile, "but I'm afraid I'm not really the spiritual type."

"Oh, but you have to go," the man insisted, crouching down so he could look up at her with an excited grin. "Everyone should. Surely you're not here alone?"

"No," said Rose, "my, ah ... _friend_ is just getting me a drink, he should be back any moment actually." She frowned as she scanned the crowd over the man's shoulder for a sign that the Doctor was coming back. He always got so insufferable lately when he saw her interacting with other men.

"Then you must go to the temple together. Even if you are not a follower of the Twelve, I promise it's an experience you don't want to miss. When you are in the presence of the idols they speak to you in your soul, you can feel the weight of their knowledge in your bones. Even if you don't believe, you will feel it." The man reached into his robe and pulled out two small pieces of paper.

"Take these tickets," he said, handing them to her. "I work for the temple so I have a few extra to give to friends and family. Take your friend, go and meditate before the great lady Faila, and I promise you that whatever troubles are plaguing you, her divine light will show you the path to freedom."

Rose accepted the tickets with a wistful smile. "Freedom, hm? Alright, maybe I will go. Thanks..." She paused, realizing she didn't know his name.

"Myrik," he said, getting back to his feet. "Myrik Mirstad. And you?"

"Rose. Rose Tyler," she mimicked him playfully.

He laughed. "Well then, Rose Tyler, it was very nice to meet you. Ask for me at the temple if you want to see me again before you leave the city." He winked at her flirtatiously before walking off into the crowd.

And just in time, for not two moments later the Doctor came back holding a crudely carved wooden cup with a little umbrella in it. "Who was that?" he demanded, a tense expression on his face.

"No one," she sighed tiredly, grabbing the drink from his hand. She took a small sip. It tasted like fruit, though it was like no fruit she had ever heard of, and had a sharp bite of alcohol that she really appreciated at the moment.

"What did he want?"

"He works for the temple, he gave me some tickets so we could go see the expedition there if we want," she said flatly, not wanting to rile him up any more than he already was.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, clearly wondering why a strange man from the temple had given her free tickets, but after a beat his shoulders relaxed and he smiled hopefully at her. "D'you want to go, then? The fireworks aren't for hours, we have some time to wander about."

"Alright," said Rose without much enthusiasm. "That man said that if we meditate there their gods will show us the 'path to freedom'. I think we could all use a little time to _reflect_ on certain things that have happened recently, don't you?"

"Or we could go see the acrobatics show in the town square..." he suggested, looking uncomfortable.

"No no, come on, let's go see these idols," she insisted, standing and taking another sip of her drink. "I think we could use a little religion right now."

"The major religion here is the worship of the Twelve Indefinables; they're not very big on that whole 'love, peace, and forgiveness' crap that your Christianity preaches."

"Maybe some things are unforgivable," Rose mused, gazing at him coolly. "Come on, let's go."

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The temple where the exhibition was being held was only a ten minute walk from the center of town, though it took more like thirty with the crowd slowing them down. Every time someone brushed up against Rose or even looked at her too long he started to feel tense, and he was almost regretting taking her somewhere with so many people. She needed the distraction, though; as much as he loved having her full attention, right now the very sight of him seemed to enrage her.

The Doctor was starting to become afraid that they wouldn't be able to get past this, that her fury ran so deep that by the time it burned out there would be nothing left of her regard for him. But Rose's love ran deep too, he knew, and ... well, they had faced bad odds before and got through things okay, hadn't they? And he was going to do whatever it took to earn back her respect.

The temple was made of stone and was quite a nice piece of architecture with its many massive pillars and decorated arches. A great flight of stairs led up to a set of big wooden doors, and next to them was a large sign advertising the exhibition. The words at the top of the sign caught his eye.

"In honor of the 183rd Annual Maratino Festival ... shit, Rose, this is the year with the fire!"

"What?" she asked distractedly. Her tugged her hand a bit to get her attention.

"The fire, there's going to be a fire that burns the whole city down, I thought it was ten years from now but I must have been a bit off when I landed." Of course it was the year with the fire. Why did these sorts of things always seem to happen to him?

"Of _course_ it is. You _would_ land us in the year where it's all going to burn down," she replied, unknowingly mimicking his thoughts.

"Yes, _thank you_ , Rose, for once again pointing out that everything that's gone wrong lately is all my fault," he snapped, then immediately regretted it. "Come on, let's go," he urged. "If you want I can try again and we can go back to a safer year."

Rose looked up at him unhappily and bit her lip. "When is the fire?" she asked.

The Doctor hesitated. "Not until the second day of the festival..."

"Well then we might as well go see the exhibit, right? We're fine so long as we don't stay 'til tomorrow."

The Doctor considered it. He didn't like the idea of leaving Rose in the path of yet another disaster, but surely it wouldn't hurt to stay a few more minutes. They would visit the exhibit, take another walk through the marketplace, and be back in the TARDIS before dark. If she still wanted to see the fireworks, well, there were better places and times to see a good display of fireworks. There were theme parks on a planet in the Trilliac solar system where the sun never rose and they had fireworks all day long...

"Alright, let's go see these idols, but after that we should head back to the TARDIS. It's hard enough trying to keep track of you without a great bloody fire in the way."

Rose rolled her eyes and started up the stairs, tugging at his arm where his hand was joined with hers.

An woman wearing a robe took their tickets at the entrance and they went through to a lavishly decorated atrium. The inner walls and ceiling were made of intricately carved wood and the floor was worn stone that looked as if it had been cut from a single massive slab. Various religious artifacts were displayed behind little fences made of wood and rope. Some pieces were simple idols meant to represent one deity or another; others were exquisitely crafted and decorated with precious metals. Rose tugged on his arm again, pulling him deeper into the exhibit toward an archway with a stiff-backed man standing to either side. They wore robes like the other people who worked in the temple, but each had a holster at his waist holding what looked very much like a firearm. The Doctor struggled to remember if the people of this civilization had invented gunpowder yet. Well, it wouldn't be an issue so long as they kept their heads down.

"The man who gave me the tickets said that when I was in the presence of the idols I'd be able to feel it in my bones. I didn't believe him, but you know what? I think I do feel something."

"Don't be ridiculous, Rose," he scoffed.

"Over there..." she said with an oddly dreamy quality to her voice, pulling him insistenty toward the guarded room. A sign proclaimed that it was the "meditation room" where worshipers could contemplate the divine before the holiest of relics.

As they entered the room the Doctor's skin started to tingle. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and...

"Huh. Actually, I think I feel something too-" He drew in his breath sharply, his hand tightening on Rose's as he caught sight of the idol across the room. There were twelve of them positioned against the wall of the circular space, but the statue depicting the goddess Faila was different from the rest. It was not unlike some of the other depictions he'd seen of her, but no drawing or statue he'd ever seen had captured the complicated pattern of metal strands that had been spun around a large red gem. If you looked deep into the heart of the gem it almost seemed to glow, as if it were pulsing with life...

"What is it?" questioned Rose, looking at him oddly.

"It's a goddamned quantum field generator, that's what that is," he replied. One of the other tourists shot him a dirty look for the swear, and he learned down to whisper into Rose's ear. "I don't know how the hell it happened but these people have been worshiping a piece of technology that hasn't been seen since the height of the Time War. We used to call them time boxes; they're tremendously powerful, almost impossible to make ... blimey, the modifications I could make to the TARDIS with one of those..."

Rose frowned at him. "Why does it...? It makes my skin tingle."

"These devices were created by the Time Lords to power various technologies, and they're so in tune with the beat of time that it increases the awareness of everyone around them ... Time Lords are particularly sensitive to this, but most people could probably feel it a bit. I imagine that's why they were using it for meditation; even a human would probably be able to feel the beat of time if they stayed in its presence in an open enough state."

"It's beautiful," Rose remarked, staring at it as if mesmerized.

"It is," he agreed, turning back to it and examining it with longing. The TARDIS could do many things, but with one of those he would be able to do so much more ... and it looked like it was still in perfect condition.

"You know," he said quietly, "this whole place is going to go up in flames tomorrow and it'll probably just be destroyed. If it happened to disappear a bit before then I'm sure no one would miss it."

A scowl broke Rose's peaceful expression and she tried to yank her hand out of his grasp. "Don't even think about it!" she whispered.

"Why not?" he whispered back, stepping closer. "Why not? It's not going to make a difference, and you can't imagine the kind of things I could do if I had a time box. Within the TARDIS I'd be able to create practically anything I could imagine. Trust me, you'll love it."

"I don't trust you, and I don't think this is a good idea," she shot back. "Come on, let's just go."

The Doctor ran his gaze around the meditation room. There were over a dozen other people there admiring the idols and praying or meditating on the cushions scattered around the room. Two guards stood outside the archway; another two stood within. He wracked his brain for a moment trying to think of a cover story that would allow him to walk out of the temple with the time box without having the whole city turn against him.

"Alright fine, let's head back to the TARDIS," he gave in with a disappointed sigh.

As they left the temple the Doctor glanced back and ran his gaze over the face of the building, checking for any additional access points. He had thought that all the time boxes had been destroyed; it would be such a shame to let this one simply melt in a fire...

!.!.!.!.!

Deepening someone's sleep was easy since it only lengthened the natural sleep cycle, but the Doctor was starting to worry that he'd been doing it to Rose a bit too often. It wasn't that he didn't love having her around, it was just that ... sometimes he had to do things that she wouldn't like, and he didn't want to leave her alone while he was busy with things she couldn't be involved in. She was far too good at escaping if left unattended.

Before he left, the Doctor cupped Rose's cheek and buried his nose in her hair to breathe in her scent. If he got caught trying to steal the time box things could go really bad, but the meditation room wasn't far from the main exit and he was pretty confident that if he were chased from the temple he'd be able to disappear into the maze of market stalls that had sprung up for the festival. And the opportunity was just too tempting to pass up.

He gave Rose one final kiss for good luck, then headed out to the control room and sent the TARDIS back to the same place they'd been earlier but hours after they'd left. He had managed to land the TARDIS perfectly this time, right in the middle of the night when he wanted to be. He had considered parking the TARDIS directly in the temple, but he didn't want to risk it getting noticed.

Stars twinkled above as the Doctor walked off into the dark.


	3. Chapter 3

The feeling of having slept too long was a familiar one, and that set off alarm bells that had Rose snapping to wakefulness.

She groaned as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. A part of her wanted to just roll over and go back to sleep, but last time she'd felt this way after waking up was when the Doctor had locked her in the TARDIS to go deal with the Master and that didn't bode well. "Bloody hell, if he's done what I think he has I'm going to wring his neck," she muttered, swinging her feet off the bed and stumbling toward the wardrobe.

Once dressed, she headed straight to the control room. "Doctor?" she called, only faintly hopeful that she would get an answer. As she'd suspected, he was gone. She sighed and opened the doors to the outside. Sure enough, the TARDIS was back on the grassy hill leading down to the city they'd visited the day before, parked behind a large boulder so it wouldn't be easily spotted. The sun was still blazing as brightly as it had when they'd left, and Rose wondered how long it had been since the Doctor had left the TARDIS.

Surely he hadn't intended for her to wake up before he was back ... did that mean she hadn't slept as long as he'd expected, or was it like last time and he'd gotten in trouble again? She'd seen the look in his eyes when they'd left the temple the day before and she'd worried that he would go back for the idol, but she'd hoped that he would give up on the idea after they left. But apparently the Doctor truly had gone mad, just doing whatever reckless thing he wanted without regard for the opinions of anyone else. And she was going to have to have a serious talk with him once she found him about what exactly he was doing to make her sleep so long - was he _drugging_ her or something?

Rose paused. Come to think of it, did she really _want_ to find him? Maybe this was her chance to get away; surely he wouldn't be able to chase after her if he was in the custody of this world's police. Of course, since she couldn't fly the TARDIS herself that would mean living out the rest of her - oh - well, the rest of _forever_ on this alien planet and never seeing her friends again. And that wasn't something that Rose was all that keen on. Besides, if they were angry enough to execute him and she didn't stop it she'd just feel all sad about it afterward.

Sighing in aggravation, Rose started walking down the hill toward the marketplace which spilled haphazardly from the borders of the city. The crowd seemed thicker than when she'd been there the day before, and she wondered if this was the same day they'd left. She'd really rather get out before the fire.

It took longer than last time to reach the temple, and she was sweaty and very irritated by the time she she started up the stairs to the entranceway. A man in a robe stopped her at the door and asked for a ticket.

"Oh, right," said Rose. "Well, I suppose I haven't got one, but I, ah - look, I heard that there was a break-in here recently, is that true?"

The man looked at her suspiciously. "Yes, there was. How did you know about it?"

"Er..." Rose hesitated. If she said that she was looking for the Doctor they might think she was an accomplice, and that would be very bad. She thought furiously. "Well, I have a friend who works here, Myrik Mirstad, do you know him? He mentioned the break-in when I spoke to him earlier and he seemed a bit upset about it, so I wanted to make sure he's okay." Rose prayed that she'd got the name right, and that the Doctor hadn't taken them back to before that meeting had occurred.

Apparently the local gods looked kindly on her because the man's face relaxed and he smiled openly. "Ah, Myrik. He's a good lad; he's working in the library today. He seemed fine when I saw him at lunch, but if you want to see him go inside and up the stairs to the left. The library's through the big arch about halfway down the hall."

Rose thanked the man and tried to look confident as she headed inside. Now, which way to go? She had no idea what the people here did with criminals; it was possible that he'd already been hauled off to a prison somewhere. In the end she decided to just do as she'd said and go look for the man she'd spoken to the day before. At least he wasn't a complete stranger; maybe he'd be willing to give her some information.

The library was easy to find, and Rose quickly spotted Myrik leaning over one of several large tables situated in the center of the huge room. "Myrik!" she called quietly, and he turned to her with surprise.

He put down the scroll he was holding and walked over to her. "I knew that I'd see you again. Rose Tyler, right?"

Rose smiled. "You remembered. I actually came to see you because I need to ask you something; I think one of my friends has gotten into trouble and you were the only one I could think of who might be able to help."

"It must be destiny then," said Myrik, grinning mischievously. "The Twelve heard my prayers and arranged for us to meet again."

"You were praying to see me again, then?" Rose teased.

Myrik laughed, but made no move to deny it. "Come, let's go somewhere we won't be disturbed and then you can tell me what's brought you here."

He led her down a few halls and through a set of double doors onto a small balcony open to the sun. He took both her hands in his and looked deep into her eyes in a way that would have been more exciting if she didn't regularly gaze into the most intense eyes on any man she'd ever met. Nevertheless, it felt good to be looked at like that by someone who didn't want anything from her. "Lovely Rose, what can I help you with?" he asked.

"Well you see, yesterday my friend and I went to the exhibition like you said - loved it by the way, very nice idols - only he's a bit funny in the head and he got really fixated on this one idol, the one representing Faila."

Myrik frowned and Rose gently slipped her hands from his grasp. "The one that was almost stolen? Surely you're not saying that your friend was the one who tried to steal it?"

"I, uh ... yeah," Rose admitted. "Look, I know this looks bad, but I swear he's not the sort of person who'd normally do something like this. He would never have done it if he were in his right mind."

"What's wrong with him?" asked Myrik, looking concerned.

"Wish I knew," she said sadly, looking over the railing at the people milling in the streets below. "See, he went on an, er, trip by himself, and I think something happened to him while he was gone ... something really bad. But he won't talk about it, and I don't know how to help him."

Her expression firmed and she tilted her head back up to look Myrik in the eyes. "But I still believe that he _can_ be helped. He's done a lot of bad things recently, but deep down he's always been a good man, and I have to believe that if I just keep trying I'll find a way to bring him back to himself. And I can't do that if he gets locked up for something stupid he did while he wasn't in his right mind."

Myrik looked at her doubtfully. "I want to help you, but even if your friend is ill it was his choice to try to steal the idol. The high priests will want him punished, maybe even put to death."

Rose bit her lip. "Look, I know this is a lot of ask from someone I've only just met, but I promise you that if you help me get him released we'll leave the city and he'll never cause any trouble here ever again. He isn't dangerous or anything; he's just ... confused right now, and I can't just stand by and let him get killed. Even if you could just help me find out where he's being held, it would be a big help."

Myrik looked conflicted now. "If he had committed a lesser offense I would vouch for him, but for something like this ... I'm only an acolyte; I don't have much sway with the priests."

"Please?" begged Rose, batting her eyes at him prettily for extra effect.

"...I'll take you to where he's being held, but I can't promise anything more than that," he relented.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, smiling at him warmly.

"The holding cells are in the basement on the east side of the temple. Come on, I'll take you there."

They chatted about less serious topics as he led her deeper into the temple, though Rose tried to keep an eye on the path they were taking in case she needed to remember how to get back to the atrium. Two guards stopped them at the door to the holding cells.

"She needs to visit one of the prisoners, I'll escort her," Myrik assured them, and the guards let them through without any trouble.

Myrik glanced around uncertainly, but was Rose was immediately drawn to a cell on the right. She pursed her lips as she stepped up to the bars and took in the figure slumped on a cot at the back of the cell.

"So," she said quietly, watching as he raised his head and his eyes focused in on her like she was the only thing worth looking at. "You're a thief now, as well as a kidnapper, is that it? Y'know I ought to just let you rot here." In her peripheral vision she saw Myrik look at her oddly, but she kept her eyes on the man in front of her.

The Doctor sighed. "I'm so sorry, Rose. You were right, I should have just left it alone, but I screwed it all up and ended up here instead." He smiled self-deprecatingly. "I guess I should listen to you more often, eh?"

"You got that right," she replied, shooting him a pointed look. "So, you got any ideas on how you're gonna get out of here? Even if I could unlock your cell, this whole place is filled with guards."

"They took all all my stuff when they caught me, so I need to you get me my sonic screwdriver. After that ... well, I don't exactly have a solid plan yet, but I'm sure I'll think of something."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Myrik, do you know where they might have taken his stuff?"

The Doctor's gaze snapped to Myrik as if he hadn't noticed the other man standing there, and his eyes darkened the way they did every time she got within three feet of a man these days. Myrik shifted uncomfortably but said, "I think so; there's a room where they usually put prisoners' belongings until they can be catalogued or thrown away. I can take you there, but the guards might think it's strange if we leave the holding cells and then come straight back."

"I'm sorry, who's this now?" questioned the Doctor rather rudely.

"This is Myrik, he's the one who gave me the tickets yesterday and now he's _very kindly_ helping me save your ass at great risk to himself. Myrik, this is my friend the Doctor."

"Nice to meet you," said Myrik. "though it's unfortunate that we had to meet under unpleasant circumstances. The Twelve must have a grand plan for you to send you such trials."

"I prefer to make my own plans, so I'd really rather they would have kept out of it," said the Doctor, rolling his eyes.

Rose elected to ignore him, looking at Myrik entreatingly. "Got any ideas?"

"Do you really expect me to help you come up with a plan to help a prisoner escape?" asked Myrik. His face was serious, but there was a twinkle in his eyes that suggested he was struggling not to laugh.

"Isn't there anything in your religion about helping those in need?" tried Rose.

"I don't think that Rithma's Oath of Charity really applies in this situation, but I do want to help. If you can come up with a way to get him out of here that doesn't cause too much trouble then I'll do my best to aid you. However, it will be very hard to do that without getting caught yourself, and the temple is especially well guarded right now because of the festival."

"Is there ever a time when they leave the prisoners unguarded? Could we escort him out of the holding cells to, say, give him a bath?

Myrik shook his head. "For prisoners a bath is just a bucket of water and a rag. The only time they take the prisoners out of the holding cells is when they're being taken for questioning and when they're being taken to get executed. If they decide to carry out a swift sentence they'll probably execute him tomorrow, but there are going to be loads of guards around during the escort."

"That's too late, anyway," added the Doctor. "Since ... you know." He looked at Rose meaningfully, and she nodded slightly in understanding. It would be most troublesome if the city caught on fire while the Doctor was still locked in that cell.

"Right. Don't suppose there are any secret passages that run through here, no hidden doors or the like?"

"Not that I'm aware of," said Myrik, smiling down at her with amusement.

Rose bit her lip, thinking quickly. "Have they taken you for questioning yet?" she asked the Doctor.

"No, just kicked me in the side a few times and threw me in here."

"They kicked you?" Rose ran her gaze over him in concern.

"Yeah but I'm fine, nothing broken," he assured her. "Wouldn't mind if you wanted to kiss it better though." He shot her a cheeky grin.

Rose rolled her eyes. "So then when will they take him in for questioning? Sounds like that might be our only chance."

"They won't," said Myrik. "If they haven't done it by now they probably consider it to be an open and shut case."

"Well that's not fair," she said indignantly. "He's got the right to a trial!"

"The church has the authority to deal out its own justice," explained Myrik. "Trying to steal an idol is a serious offense; I doubt they're interested in anything he has to say."

"Okay, but what if they were? Where would they take him?" asked Rose.

"Prisoners are usually interrogated in one of the secure rooms on the West side of the floor above us." He looked down at her with concern written upon his face. "But if you're thinking about trying to free him then, it won't be any less dangerous. At least two guards will be escorting him and there will be more in the halls."

"If we could cause a distraction while they were taking him to the interrogation room he might be able to get away in the confusion ... any ideas?"

"I've got one," said the Doctor, eyes glimmering with sudden understanding. "What if the temple caught on fire?"

Rose stiffened, and Myrik looked at him askance. "Fire is forbidden in the temple. Although the outer walls are built from stone, many of the inner walls and floors are made of wood. Parts of the temple are hundreds of years old and the wood has become very dry. Even a small fire could be devastating if it spread." His brow furrowed in thought. "However ... even the threat of fire might be enough to make the guards leave their posts. If we could make them _think_ that there's a fire..."

Rose bit her lip. "What if we caused an explosion? But not a _real_ explosion, just something that sounds like one. Doctor, can you think of anything we could make that would cause a loud sound?"

"A _real_ fire would make a much better distraction," the Doctor said pointedly.

"As I said, this temple has stood for hundreds of years and there are many priceless scrolls and artifacts stored here. I really must insist that you don't light it on fire," said Myrik.

"All things come to an end," the Doctor said darkly.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that we should rush to meet the end before it's _time_ ," Rose countered.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and Myrik glanced between them curiously.

"A noise bomb," said the Doctor after a moment. "It'll be hard to make one without any plastic, but..." He looked to Myrik. "The kitchens here, do they have baking soda and vinegar?"

"Yes, I think so..."

"And how is the food preserved? Jars sealed with wax, by any chance?"

"Some things, yes, though most fruit is dried since glass is so expensive."

"Okay, I'm going to tell you how to make a simple explosive that will create a lot of noise and smoke without doing much damage. Hopefully it'll distract the guards long enough for you to get me out of here."

The Doctor quickly instructed them on how to built the explosive, but after he'd finished he pointed out that they still didn't have a plan for convincing the guards to interrogate him in the first place.

"Leave that to me," said Myrik. "If I say that I have a friend who is acquaintanced with you and she saw you associating with some suspicious men it should pique their interest enough for them to take you up."

"Alright then," said Rose, "let's get started."

As they turned to leave, the Doctor suddenly stood and took a step forward so he was up against the bars.

"Rose ... if this goes pear-shaped and you run into trouble, just get out, okay? Go back to the TARDIS, you'll be safe there."

"It's my choice, Doctor," said Rose, looking him square in the eye. "I am _choosing_ to risk my life trying to save your sorry behind, and if I get hurt in the process, at least it will be a consequence of my own decisions. Do you understand?"

"...Yes," he said after a long moment, looking pained. He pushed one hand out between the bars. She hesitated a bit, but he looked at her so pleadingly that her hand reached out to grasp his without a conscious decision on her part.

He looked deep into her eyes, jaw clenching as if he were holding back a great many things he wanted to say. But in the end all he said was, "Good luck."

Rose smiled faintly. "See you soon."

!.!.!.!.!

The plan had gone so smoothly right up until he had lifted the time box from its pedestal in the meditation room. He hadn't expected these people to have much in the way of a security system since they hadn't discovered electricity yet, but there had been a primitive pressure sensor on the surface of the pedestal and when he'd taken the time box it had released something into the pedestal's base that let out a series of loud noises like a little gong being struck. He had run into the atrium and the next thing he knew he was surrounded by guards pointing their primitive firearms at him.

Sitting in that cell all night, knowing that the hours until Rose would wake and find him gone were steadily dwindling, had worn his nerves to the quick. He had tried shouting for the guards over and over, insisting that there had been a misunderstanding and he needed to be let out, but all that had got him was a few very uncalled-for insults and a promise to tie him up and gag him if he continued making a ruckus.

A part of him hoped that she would stay away, stay in the TARDIS where it was safe, and yet there was another part that was desperate for her to come for him. Because if she didn't even try, well, that meant that what he had done might be truly unforgivable. That her desire to get away from him was so great that she would rather let him die in a fire than stay with him. And he wasn't sure he could live with that.

The dungeon was lit only by little glowing stones that were set into the walls, but he was counting the minutes and he knew when morning came. He had paced his cell restlessly for several hours before collapsing onto the hard little cot in the back of the cell. The fire was going to start soon and he was going to be trapped in here, right in the middle of it. Well, at least the walls and ceiling of the cell he was in were made of stone; it was possible he'd survive. The fire might not even reach the level he was on, though if the temple burned above him he could still die from the heat or smoke inhalation.

And then, around noon, he felt her presence drawing closer. He had waited anxiously, wondering what she would do when she found out he had tried to steal the time box after she had expressly told him not to, and in a bit under an hour he heard the guards admitting someone into the cell block. Seeing her walk into that dim little prison was like looking like everything beautiful in the world. She had come for him. She still cared enough to come. And that meant there was still hope for them. Furthermore, she was wearing a skimpy little outfit that made him want to take her straight to their bedroom, and he hoped that he would be able to convince her to wear it again in a more private setting.

He had been less pleased that she'd brought a friend, but at least the man was proving to be useful. He was a little glad the priest was doomed to die in a few hours, though; the looks he'd been giving Rose made the Doctor want to punch him in the face and he knew that there was only one reason a man like that would be so invested in helping a woman he'd only just met.

The three of them came up with a plan and then Rose and - Mirak, was it? - left to go look for his sonic screwdriver. It was hard to let go of her hand knowing that she was about to walk into danger, but this wasn't the first time they'd been in a sticky situation and he was determined it wouldn't be the last.

It took thirty-seven minutes and twelve seconds for the guards to enter the prison block and drag him out of his cell. They handcuffed his hands behind his back and half-shoved, half-dragged him up the stairs and into a little room down the hall. Nothing unusual happened on the way to the interrogation room, and the Doctor wondered whether they had changed the plan or something had gone wrong. He decided to have faith in Rose and wait until they took him back to his cell to worry about it, though he couldn't help but feel anxious at the thought of Rose getting caught.

The room was made of polished wood and some of the walls were cracked and dented a bit as if something had hit them with great force, but the wood looked thick and strong. In the center of the room was a small rectangular table with a chair set to either side, pretty standard for an interrogation room he thought. The guards pushed him down into the chair with its back facing the wall and secured him to it with heavy chains.

He waited a few minutes, idly attempting to engage the guard stationed by the door in conversation, and then a thin little man came in who wore a heavily embroidered robe and a series of long necklaces that probably cost more than most people in this country made in a year. He sat down in the chair on the other side of the table and started asking questions in a demanding tone that would have been really annoying if he wasn't waiting for Rose to come rescue him at any moment.

The Doctor answered the questions flippantly, unconcerned about the violence the holy man threatened or the guard shooting him nasty looks over the man's shoulder. At last, there was the sound of a large explosion from somewhere nearby and the priest turned sharply toward the door.

"Stay here, keep an eye on him," he ordered the guard before leaving the room.

The Doctor waited while people shouted outside the door and the the guard shifted anxiously. After about thirty seconds he heard a second explosion, causing the guard to turn toward the sound in alarm. Luckily, he didn't have to wait much longer before there was a frantic knock on the door. The guard turned around and quickly opened it.

Rose's priest friend was there, a panicked expression on his face. "I need your help!" he said urgently. "I think Bishop Petrell was trapped in the second explosion, and everyone's still gathered at the other one. Come on, hurry!"

The guard glared down at the shorter man. "I was ordered to guard the prisoner, I can't just abandon my post," he said uneasily.

"What's he gonna do, tied up to a chair like that? Please, hurry! He could be hurt!"

The guard glanced back at the Doctor uneasily. "Don't move, prisoner," he ordered.

"Couldn't even if I tried," he pointed out, rattling his chains. The guard stepped out into the hall and slammed the door, locking it behind himself.

Less than twenty seconds later there was the "click" of the lock turning again and the door burst open to reveal Rose, sweaty and disheveled but looking beautiful as ever. She rushed around the table and started tugging at his chains.

"Shit, I have no idea where the key for these is," swore Rose.

"Did you bring the sonic screwdriver?" he asked urgently.

"Yeah, right here," she said, pushing it into his hands.

He had to hold his wrists at odd angles to unlock the chains himself and he was all too aware of the seconds ticking by while he tried to do it by feel, but at last he was free of both chains and cuffs and he stood so quickly that the chair clattered to the floor.

"Let's get out of here," he said, grabbing Rose's hand. They ran out of the room but paused for a moment in the empty hallway.

"Any chance you know where the exit is?"

"This way!" she said urgently, tugging him down the hall to the right.

Rose led him down several corridors before they spotted her priest friend peering around a corner and waving at them frantically. "Hurry!" he called as they neared, then ran down the hall to the left. Rose followed after him and the Doctor followed Rose, his hand squeezing hers tightly.

They ran down a few hallways, went up one set of stairs and down another, and soon arrived at a corridor leading into the atrium. The priest stopped just before entering, panting for breath.

"I can't be seen helping you escape," he said between pants. "Run as fast as you can, I don't know how much longer it will be before the guards come back." He turned to Rose, his eyes softening. "Rose Tyler ... I'm glad that the Twelve granted me the opportunity to meet you. If you ever have reason to return to the city, my rooms will always be open to you."

The Doctor tensed, shooting the insolent little whelp the nastiest glare he could muster. "I'm glad to have met you too," said Rose, but she had to call it over her shoulder because he was already pulling her toward the exit.

They ran out of the temple and flew down the stairs with all the speed they could muster. Just as they reached the ground there was a cry from above and someone shouted, "The prisoner is escaping! Hurry, after him!"

The Doctor pushed himself to run even faster, slowing his pace only slightly when the speed made nearly made Rose stumble. However, it was the height of the festival and as they drew nearer to the marketplace the crowd thickened to the point that there were too many people to dodge. They were forced to slow down significantly, and the shouting of the guards was getting close very fast.

As they darted through a rare break in the crowd, Rose suddenly cried out and her hand was torn from his grasp. The Doctor stumbled as he tried to slow down, and he bumped into someone who shouted an insult before he was able to stop and spin around. Rose was attempting to push herself up from the ground, and his hearts beat even faster when he saw that one of her arms was bleeding from skidding across the dirt. The culprit, he quickly surmised, was not one of their pursuers but a rock that was sticking out of the dusty ground near one of her feet - and was the angle of her ankle a little funny, like it was twisted?

The guards were quickly closing in; he could see the crowd clearing down the street where the guards were commanding people to clear a path. One of the guards was pushing ahead, shoving people out of the way so enthusiastically that he would be upon them in seconds.

"Run!" shouted Rose. "I'll be okay! Go!"

The Doctor took a step toward her, but before he could do anything else a hand grabbed him hard around his right forearm and yanked him back. The Doctor spun, ready to go down fighting, but he stilled his fist when he saw that it was the young man who'd helped them moments earlier. "Come on!" shouted the priest, grabbing his arm again and pulling him desperately toward one of the stalls. "You can't help her right now!"

The Doctor resisted a bit, but he was slightly winded and as soon as he stumbled out of the street the boy let go of his arm and shoved him through a tapestry that separated the front of the stall from the back. The Doctor fell to the earthen floor of the flimsy structure and the priest dived in after him.

The Doctor leapt to his feet as quickly as he could, staggering slightly before regaining his balance and spinning to face the priest. "What did you do that for?" he shouted, balling his fist and punching the other man across the face hard enough to send him back to the ground. "They're going to capture her!"

The boy pushed himself up with one hand and pressed the other against his quickly swelling cheek. "If you go back for her now they will capture you both," he said with an infuriatingly calm expression. The Doctor shoved the tapestry aside and ducked behind the counter at the front of the stall. He peered over its surface and searched for the opening in the crowd where she had fallen, but he couldn't see her anywhere. However, there were several guards standing around the area and scanning the crowd. Scanning the crowd for _him_.

The whelp's hand closed around his forearm again and gently drew him back behind the tapestry. "They'll take her back to the temple for questioning," he said. "I know a few shortcuts so if we hurry we could probably get there before them. Once we're alone we can come up with a plan to save her, but you won't be able to help her if you get caught again yourself."

He grit his teeth and glared at the young man furiously for a few moments, but finally he had to force out the words, "Fine. Take me there as fast as you can."

!.!.!.!.!

The Doctor was gasping for breath by the time they exited the maze of market stalls and stopped to recover at the back of the temple. "Tell me you have a plan," said the Doctor between labored pants.

"They'll probably take her in for questioning right away and decide her sentence based on what she tells them," said the priest after he'd caught his breath. "If I vouch for her I might be able to persuade them to accept a pledge of servitude to the temple rather than putting her to death, but she'll be closely watched until she's released into the custody of the priests who train new initiates."

"Look, Priest, it would take longer than we have to explain why, but it's very important that Rose and I leave the city as soon as possible. I don't have time to wait for them to turn her into a damned nun."

"I'm just an acolyte, actually," said the boy, "and I should hurry inside before I'm missed. I can't afford to have any suspicion on me if I'm going to help your Rose. I'll come back as soon as I can and we'll come up with a plan together, alright?"

The Doctor's fists clenched uselessly, desperate to have a plan of action while Rose was in so much danger. "What was you name again?" he asked.

"Myrik," said the whelp, raising an eyebrow. "And your name is 'Doctor', right?"

"Close enough," he said absently, then continued, "Myrik, I need you to listen carefully: Rose is very important to me. If anything happens to her I will be very upset, and if I find out that you could have helped her but were too much of a coward to do anything then the judgement I will bring down on your sorry hide will be more severe than any punishment your backworld gods could come up with. Your god of Wrath is known for roasting her enemies alive in a pit of tar, isn't that right? Well, if anything happens to Rose you will _beg_ for a torture that banal by the time I'm done with you. Do you understand, Myrik? Do you understand how important she is?"

Myrik's eyes had widened throughout the Doctor's speech and his expression showed a hint of fear. He swallowed thickly, but his voice was calm when he said, "Yes, I understand. She's very important to you. I like her a lot, too. I won't let her get executed if I can help it."

The Doctor searched his face to judge the sincerity of Myrik's statement then stepped back, reluctantly satisfied. "Go on, then," he said, nodding to the little door which he guessed was a servants' entrance. "Help her."

Myrik pointed to a cluster of thick bushes at the edge of the park which surrounded the temple on three sides. "Hide over there so you aren't seen. I'll come back as soon as I can."

The Doctor jogged over to the bushes and awkwardly situated himself within them before crouching down. He watched Myrik knock on the door, and someone within promptly opened it and spoke to him in an irritated tone. Myrik went inside, leaving the Doctor to wait by himself once more with nothing to do but pray for Rose's safe return.

!.!.!.!.!

A/N: I'm pretty sure you couldn't actually make a noise bomb with the materials mentioned, and you certainly couldn't make one that creates much smoke. But I figure the Doctor might know a few tricks I don't, so just go with it.


	4. Chapter 4

It had all happened so quickly. One moment Rose was fleeing through the marketplace with her hand in the Doctor's firm grasp; the next she was lying on the ground and the guards were surrounding her. Her ankle was screaming in pain as they roughly pulled her to her feet, and she stumbled repeatedly as they started pulling her back toward the temple. When they got impatient with her unsteady gait one guard simply threw her over his shoulder, and it didn't take them long to retrace the path she and the Doctor had taken moments earlier.

Her ankle throbbed every time she bounced on the man's shoulder, but she didn't have to endure it for long before they were crossing the atrium and the guard was being ordered to take her straight to an interrogation room. Once there, she was handcuffed and deposited on a hard wooden chair which was then chained to the cuffs. All but one of the guards left the room.

A man came in after a few minutes and started asking her questions: how did she know the Doctor, what did she know about his attempted heist, who else was involved, why did she try to help him escape. There wasn't much she could say without trying to explain about time travel and quantum field generators, and she could tell that her answers weren't satisfying him. The Doctor was her friend, she said, but he hadn't been quite right since he had taken a bad blow to the head the year before. He'd been speaking to some men she didn't trust, and she believed that they had tricked him into trying to rob the temple. No, she hadn't known that he was going to do it beforehand. She would have stopped him if she could have, because he was like family to her and she couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to him. That was why she had tried to help him escape, and yes she was very sorry for violating temple law and angering the gods.

After a while the priest stopped asking her questions and simply stared at her penetratingly as if trying to read her secrets on her face. Rose looked him right in the eye and tried to look innocent. The story she'd given him hadn't been entirely untrue, after all. Some of it. Sort of.

Several seconds went by before the priest seemed to be satisfied with whatever he'd seen in her expression and he stood and left the room without another word. Rose waited anxiously while avoiding curious glances from the man left to guard the door. Her ankle throbbed with her heartbeat and her forearm stung where she'd skinned it on the ground just before being caught. She hoped that the Doctor had been able to escape, though she had no doubt that he'd just turn right around and try to stage another break-out. Although she'd spent the past few days desperately wishing he'd stay away from her, considering the circumstances she couldn't help but be thankful that she could at least count on him not to abandon her.

A few minutes later the door opened again and a couple of guards walked in and unchained her from the chair. They pulled her to her feet, but Rose hissed in pain and protested that she'd twisted her ankle and couldn't walk so easily. Unfortunately, this only resulted in her being thrown over another shoulder and carried to a windowless room slightly bigger than the interrogation room (though much better furnished). The guard put her down on the little bed in the corner of the room and took out another set of chains which he used to secure her to the headboard.

"What's going on?" demanded Rose.

"Wait here," ordered the guard as if she had a choice. "Someone will be in to see you in a couple of minutes." He walked out the door and she heard the sound of a lock turning after it closed.

Rose sat there anxiously, wondering again if the Doctor had gotten away. Wondering how long she had before the fire started. Forget execution; what she should really be worried about was burning alive while chained to a bed on an adventure that she hadn't even signed up for. Rose let out a tired sigh. If they got out of this alive she was going to wring the Doctor's neck for getting her in this position as a result of his selfish behavior. And she was finally going to force him to tell her the truth, all of it, from why he had chosen to ignore her advice and go after the idol all the way back to why he had abandoned her on that beach only to return for her in a confusing turn of events that had left him a changed man. She wasn't sure just yet how she would make him talk to her when all her previous attempts had been unsuccessful, but they _would_ be having words.

Rose looked up when she heard the lock turning, and the door promptly opened to reveal Myrik with a nasty bruise darkening his left cheek. "Are you okay?" they asked each other almost simultaneously.

"I'm fine," he replied as she said "I'll survive," and they grinned at each other and couldn't help letting out a laugh.

Myrik shut the door. "I was so worried when they captured you," he said. "You're lucky I have a good reputation around here; I convinced them to sentence you to life service in the temple rather than execution. They still want to punish you, though. I tried my best, but trying to help a prisoner escape is a serious offense under temple law." He walked over to the bed and hissed as he ran his gaze over her twisted ankle. "That looks like it might be broken. Unfortunately, you're going to have to wait a while to get it taken care of."

"Is the Doctor alright?" asked Rose. "And what happened to your face?"

"He's fine, I told him to stay in hiding while I tried to sway the priests toward leniency. He wasn't too happy when I tried to stop him from going back for you in the marketplace; gave me this," he said, pointing to his cheek, "when I pulled him out of the street. I believe you now about him being a little bit mad. He was most insistent that I see to your safety." He looked at her searchingly. "He seems to care for you a great deal, but I'm not so sure that you were right about him not being dangerous. Are you sure you want to stay with a man like that?"

"No," Rose answered bluntly. "But he isn't usually like this, and if I can't help him remember who he really is then I don't know who can. Besides, he's the only one who knows how to, ah, _steer the ship_ that we need to take to get home, so I don't really have any choice about it do I?"

"You always have a choice," said Myrik seriously. "The Twelve guide us to our destinies, but each man must walk the path on his own two legs."

Rose smiled at him. "You're right, I do have a choice. And right now I'm choosing to get out of here. Got a plan?"

Myrik's face fell into a worried frown. "Not exactly. They wanted to give you a caning, but I convinced them to whip you instead. It won't be any less painful, but you'll recover faster and there'll be less risk of permanent damage."

"Are you serious?" Rose exclaimed, horrified. "They're going to _whip me_?"

"I'm so sorry," he said, hanging his head. "I would spare you of this if I could, but I'm just an acolyte and the best I was able to do was to convince them to let me prepare you for it." He held up his left hand to reveal a small but elegantly carved wooden case she hadn't noticed when he'd come in. "This case contains a vial of concentrated redweed. The priests here use it for many things."

He put the case down on the bed and opened it to reveal a small glass vial and a syringe that wouldn't have looked out of place in a modern hospital, though she wasn't too sure what the plunger was made out of. Rose pressed against the headboard anxiously.

"In small doses it increases sensitivity and makes the user more suggestible," he explained, "but in larger doses it opens the mind to the infinite mystery of the Twelve and eases the pains of this world for a while. They want me to give you a small dose so your punishment will stick better, but the man who supplies it was sympathetic after I told him how you got mixed up in this and he gave me a little extra to help you through this."

Rose shook her head. "No way. I am not letting you inject some mystery drug into my veins!"

"If I could avoid this I would, but they'll be able to tell if I leave here without giving you any. And the amount I'm going to give you will slow your heartbeat, reducing the rate of blood loss. Your friend said that it's important you leave the city soon, and if you're going to try to escape again anytime soon you'll need all the strength you can get."

Rose bit her lip. "What else will it do?"

"Please, just trust me," pleaded Myrik. "We don't have much time before they'll start to wonder what's taking me so long. Take the drug, accept the help it gives you while the priests serve your punishment, and once you recover we'll see about coming up with a plan to get you out of here."

Rose stared at the contents of the wooden case uneasily. She didn't like this; she didn't like this at all. But she couldn't see any way around it, either.

"Alright," she said at last, "but I need you to get back to the Doctor as soon as possible to let him know I'm okay. Don't - don't tell him about the drugs or the whipping if you can avoid it, just let him know that I'm okay and that you're working to get me out. The last thing I need is for him to do something crazy and get himself caught again."

"I'll try, but I've been neglecting my duties all day and my superior ordered me to get back to work. It might look suspicious if I leave the temple again when I'm supposed to be in the library, and all the doors that lead outside are surrounded with people right now." He smiled at her faintly. "You must really love him to go through all this trouble for him."

"I do," said Rose. "And that's why I'm not going to let him destroy himself, whether he likes it or not."

"He's very lucky to have you, then," said Myrik, his smile growing a little wider. He took the syringe out of its case and filled it with the fluid in the vial. "Ready?" he asked.

Rose took a deep breath. "Not really," she replied, "but go ahead."

"You'll just feel a little pinch," he warned her as he slid the needle into her arm and injected its contents.

Rose breathed in deep, trying to calm herself as her arm stung from the needle and cool fluid entered her bloodstream.

"How long before it starts working?" she asked anxiously.

"You should start feeling it within a couple of minutes," said Myrik as he put the empty vial and syringe back into the case. "I have to go now. Try to occupy yourself with simple, calming thoughts and remember that all pain starts in the mind." He leaned down and looked into her eyes, his gaze reassuringly calm. "You _will_ get through this, pretty lady. If you don't trust in the Divine, trust in yourself. And don't listen to the priest who serves your punishment too much; he's going to to try to indoctrinate you into the ways of the Twelve and I don't think you have any interest in becoming an acolyte. Unless you've suddenly seen the light of the Divine?" he teased.

"Thanks, but I think the gods have other plans for me," she replied with amusement.

"I don't doubt that," he said with a warm smile. "Good luck."

Myrik slipped out the door and Rose didn't have to wait long before a guard came in and unchained her cuffs from the headboard. Apparently he had already been informed about her twisted ankle, because he forewent any attempt to get her to walk on her own and lifted her over his shoulder instead. Rose was getting really sick of being carried over bony shoulders.

It didn't take very long to reach the dimly-lit room in which she was to receive her "punishment", but by the time the guard set her down she was starting to feel nauseous from the way the motion kept jostling her around. There was a very ominous set of chains bolted firmly to the stone ceiling. The guard pulled her arms over her head and secured the chains to her handcuffs, then yanked on the loose end of the chain to pull her into the air until she could just barely stand on on the tips of her toes using her good foot. Oddly enough, the pain from her injured ankle seemed to be fading even as she struggled to keep it in the air without putting all her weight on her wrists. The exertion was making her very hot, though. Sweat dripped into her eyes and she let her head fall toward the floor, which suddenly seemed much father away than it should have been.

"He keeps saying he wants me to be safe," she muttered dully. "If he really loved me, he would have just let me stay with Sarah Jane."

Suddenly she realized that someone was standing before her, not the guard - he seemed to have left at some point; it was the man who'd questioned her earlier, the priest with the fancy robes. He was telling her something about consequences and the will of the twelve whatevers, but his voice seemed to drone on and on and she couldn't really focus on it. His speech seemed to speed up at some points and slow to a crawl at others, and didn't really make a lot of sense. After a while he disappeared and everything was nice and quiet for a bit. She could feel the seconds ticking by, three ... four ... five ... six ... and she started to feel like she was falling and swung a bit before regaining her balance.

And that's when the world caught on fire.

A stripe of blinding pain struck her on the back with enough force to make her lose her balance again, but the pain of her wrists yanking against the chains was nothing compared to the fire that burned her from behind. Four-point-five seconds later a second line of agony sent her swinging forward on the chains again and then she started to lose count, only able to count the seconds between the blows.

As she writhed in place she became aware that someone was screaming, and given the way her lungs were starting to burn she figured it was probably her. She drew in a ragged breath, air pooling like cool liquid in her lungs, and then forced it out in another drawn-out shriek as pain bit into her skin once more. A waterfall was trickling down her back but the water was too warm and thick to soothe the burning, and every time she managed to get her feet back under her she felt dizzy like the earth was moving beneath her and threatening to switch up with down. The flames on her back spread up to her hands and down to her feet and she was burning all over, her whole body, and the voice was telling her that she needed to look within to find the light that every human carried, that spark that connected her with the divine.

That seemed as good an idea as any, so Rose squeezed her eyes shut and reached deep inside past the pain to a place where all she could feel was the slow and steady beat of the passage of time. And just as promised, there was light there too, a beautiful star that danced to a complicated rhythm of sheer possibility and made sweet music to accompany the motions of the solar system. And then there were stars all spread out before her, a trillion blinking lights hurtling through space while little rocks spun around them in an elegant dance that encompassed the entire universe...

Slowly but steadily, the world turned.


	5. Chapter 5

Despite his exhaustion, the Doctor was almost vibrating with tension as he waited in the bushes for news on what was happening with Rose. He scanned the wall of the temple over and over again searching for any unguarded access points he might have overlooked, but the lowest windows were over three stories up and the only entrance on this side seemed to be the door that Myrik had gone through earlier.

The Doctor waited as long as he could, but after a couple hours went by with no sign of either Rose or the acolyte he was starting to panic. The sun was going down and that meant that the fire was going to start any moment now, if it hadn't already. That might actually work to his advantage, though. If the city was on fire most people would probably leave the temple in an attempt to either flee the city or put out the flames. It would actually be a perfect ... distraction...

Oh.

Myrik had been unwilling to consider starting a fire as a distraction because the inner workings of the temple were primarily composed of wood. However, the outer walls of the temple were made of stone, and that meant that it would be difficult for a fire _outside_ the structure to penetrate to its interior. The fire would probably make it inside eventually once it grew hot enough to shatter the windows and heat up the stone, but it would take a while for that to happen and in the meantime he would have a good shot of getting Rose back in the midst of the chaos.

The Doctor stared at the servant's entrance for a few more minutes, willing for something to happen, for some sign that Rose was okay, but nothing moved except for the leaves rustling in the wind. Unable to stand it anymore, he suddenly stood and extracted himself from the bush. He ran back toward the marketplace, taking care to stay out of sight of the front of the temple where the guards would be stationed.

Luckily, no one at the edge of the marketplace seemed to recognize him as the man who had run through there fleeing a large group of guards just two hours prior. The Doctor retraced the path that Myrik had taken him on while helping him escape; it made thorough use of the little alleyways that ran between the backs of the market stalls where few people went. As he walked, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and started switching it to a particular setting. Once he started he would need to move very quickly to avoid getting discovered.

After couple minutes he stopped and closed his eyes while taking a deep breath. Fyrlax, one of the greatest cities to ever grace this planet, the gem of the ancient world. And he was going to be the one to start the fire that would destroy it. Had he always been meant to come here and take responsibility for the end? Or was he merely hastening the inevitable? If he chose not to do this, would the city still burn?

"All things come to an end," he muttered, picturing Rose's face in his mind. She was what really mattered here, and the thought of her waiting for him back at the temple was all he needed to be focusing on at the moment.

This setting on the sonic screwdriver was very simple. All it did was spray out a little shower of sparks every time it was activated. The backs of many of the stalls were composed of solid wood or thick fabric and wouldn't burn too easily, but some were made of braided mats of straw or a thin, scarf-like material that would go up like gasoline if a spark managed to catch.

Snapping his eyes open, the Doctor stalked back down the alleyway while firing sparks onto the surfaces that looked most flammable. When he reached the place where he'd need to cross the street to get back under cover he glanced back and saw smoke rising from some of the stalls near his starting point. The noise of the crowd was becoming mingled with confused tones and rising alarm, so the Doctor darted across the street and into the alleyway on the other side. Moving faster now, he continued shooting sparks at both sides of the aisle until he reached the place where he'd entered the marketplace. A couple of times he had almost been caught by onlookers who had seen him rushing out of the alleyways with smoke rising at his back, but he was moving too quickly for anyone to sound the alarm before he was gone.

The Doctor sprinted toward the back of the temple, pausing only once to glance back and make sure that the fire had really caught. Sure enough, thick smoke was rising from the marketplace and he could hear panicked cries coming from the distance. He continued onward, hoping that the people in the temple would notice the fire quickly and that some of the servants would elect to go out the back way rather than take a longer route to the main entrance. However, as he drew near he saw that the servants' entrance was still closed. Making a quick decision, he rushed over and banged on the door.

A woman in a plain brown robe quickly opened it, scowling at him when she saw he was a stranger. "What do you want?" she asked irritably. "This entrance isn't open to the public."

"Don't you know?" he said dramatically. It wasn't difficult to look like he was in a panic because his clothing had become rather disheveled and he was sweating a bit, and, honestly, the knowledge that anything could be happening to Rose while he stood around being useless was making him feel a good amount of genuine panic. "The market's on fire!" he continued. "Everyone has to evacuate! If the fire penetrates the walls of the temple it'll go up like kindling!"

The woman's mouth dropped open and she took a step back in surprise. "What're you talking about, the market's on fire? Who are you?" she demanded.

"There's no time! Look at the smoke!" he snapped, gesturing wildly to the cloud of smoke rising over the park. "Everyone has to get out! It isn't safe!"

The woman's eyes bugged out as she stared at the thick black smoke rising in the distance, but she recovered quickly and spat out a phrase that he wouldn't have expected from a woman who'd devoted her life to religious service. She turned around and started shouting for the other servants to get out of the temple. The Doctor stepped back and turned his head away to avoid being recognized as they came flooding out, gasping and exclaiming loudly as they noticed the smoke one by one. He waited until the flow of people started to slow and then entered the crowd himself, shoving people aside to get through the door and push his way upstream through the mass of panicked humans.

The room immediately inside the entranceway was fairly large, and once he made it to the edge he saw sinks lining the wall and figured it was probably a kitchen. As he made his way toward the exit he scanned a few piles of dirty dishes and grabbed a heavy metal pot in case he ran into any trouble. It probably wouldn't stop a bullet, but it was better than nothing.

Once he made it through to the corridor the crowd thinned significantly and he was finally able to get moving. He picked a direction at random and started to run. Where would they have taken her? Was she still being questioned? He was pretty sure the interrogation rooms had been on the main floor, but this place was like a maze and it was hard to be certain.

He shot around a corner and suddenly came face to face with a guard running the other way. They each came to a stop, the guard looking as startled as he was, and the Doctor allowed himself only a moment to catch his breath before he gasped, "You have to get out. There's a fire in the marketplace and it isn't safe here."

The guard hesitated for a second, but then his face hardened and he glared at the Doctor with a look of recognition. "I know you. You're that prisoner who escaped earlier, aren't y-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the Doctor swung the pot through the air and struck the guard in the side of the head. There was a sickening thud and the other man went down like a stone. The Doctor hesitated for a second before crouching down and flipping him onto his back so he could slide the guard's gun out of its holster. It was a primitive thing, but still dangerous enough that it should be able to deter anyone else from obstructing him long enough for him to get past them. Not allowing himself to look too closely at the blood which was starting to spread in a pool on the floor, the Doctor pushed to his feet and continued his sprint down the hall.

He passed a few more people as he searched, but none of them were guards and all of them seemed more interesting in running for the exit than concerning themselves with the crazy man waving a gun. The Doctor called Rose's name a few times in desperation, and suddenly someone shouted his name in an answering cry. But it wasn't his Rose.

Myrik ran out of a corridor intersecting the hall and ran toward him. "What's going on?" he asked urgently, looking truly unsettled for the first time since the Doctor had met him. "I heard something about a fire - is it true? Is the temple on fire?"

"Not the temple," he said, "the marketplace. But it won't take long for it to reach us, which is why I need you to take me to Rose _right now_."

Myrik nodded, his face gleaming with a film of nervous sweat. "They took her to the punishment room to give her a whipping - I tried to argue for a more lenient sentence but that was the best I could do - you're saying the city is _on fire_? What-"

"She's being _whipped_?" the Doctor spat. "I told you to take care of her! For fuck's sake, lead me to her right now or I'm going to give you another punch."

Myrik took a step back, looking slightly afraid, but then he seemed to muster his courage and he firmed his jaw. "She's in the basement. This way!"

They ran down several hallways before coming to a staircase that led downward. Luckily Myrik was a fast little bugger and didn't slow him down too much. As they moved deeper into the basement the Doctor could hear the faint but unmistakable sound of someone screaming, muffled though it was by the walls between them. He knew instantly and without a doubt that it was Rose. "Rose!" he called frantically, pushing past Myrik and following the sound rather than his guide. It was easy to sense her this close, too, pulling him steadily in one direction. He didn't have far to go before he reached a door behind which he could clearly hear Rose's shrieks and the steady crack of a whip against naked flesh. A guard stood to either side of the door, and both started when they saw him and reached for their weapons reflexively. Knowing he was moments away from being riddled with bullets, the Doctor raised the gun he still held at his side and fired a shot into the chest of the guard on the right. Before the other one could react he aimed again and shot a second bullet, right through the forehead this time. Both guards collapsed to the floor.

The Doctor kicked the door open and ran into the room. The priest who had interrogated him earlier was standing in the center, staring at the Doctor with alarm. In his hand he held a rather nasty-looking whip of braided leather. "You!" shouted the priest, pointing his finger condemningly. "How did you get in here?"

There was a yelp out in the hall; apparently Myrik had caught up with him. His gaze shifted over the priest's shoulder and he saw Rose hanging from the ceiling by her wrists, naked from the waist up, her back crossed with so many lines that it didn't even look like skin anymore. Blood ran down her back in rivulets, and as his gaze moved downward he saw that Rose's toes were struggling to find purchase in a small puddle of blood that had formed beneath her. The Doctor's hand raised again and there was a bang that echoed deafeningly against the thick stone of the walls before he'd even made a conscious decision to act. The priest fell to the floor with blood leaking from the bullet wound in his head to join with the pool around Rose. For a moment all he could see was red, but then Myrik's voice broke the silence and he realized that Rose had stopped screaming.

"Faila's grace ... what have you done? Those men were just doing their jobs - Sethmir, we shared a dorm when we first pledged to the temple-"

The Doctor ignored him, stepping over the dead priest's body and circling around to Rose's front. She was panting raggedly but didn't respond when he gently called her name.

Her face was lowered toward the ground so he pushed a hand under her chin to raise her head. "Rose," he said again, "Rose." Her eyes were strangely unfocused as if she were looking through him, but after a moment she looked him in the eyes and smiled dreamily. "I knew you'd come back for me," she said confidently. Her smile faded a bit. "No matter where I go, you always find me." Her pupils were dilated and she was slurring her speech a little. The Doctor looked past her and pinned Myrik down with a furious glare.

"What's wrong with her?" he demanded.

"You - it's the redweed, I gave her a higher dose to help her through the punishment - god, she said you weren't quite right, but this-"

The Doctor pointed the gun at Myrik. "You drugged her? You _drugged_ her? You promised you'd keep her safe!"

"Did you start the fire too?" Myrik cried. "What sort of demon has possessed you for you to-"

"Shut up!" shouted the Doctor. "I saw the way you looked at her, ogling her body with your uncomprehending gaze. That was all you wanted, wasn't it? To touch her with your filthy human hands. You don't deserve to worship the ground she walks on, you _stupid little boy_! And then you found out she was just going to leave after freeing me and you decided it wasn't worth it to stick your neck out for her, is that it? Or were you planning to make her stay here and turn her into your little toy?"

"You're insane," whispered Myrik in a voice that trembled as he stared at the Doctor with widened eyes. He took a nervous step back toward the doorway.

"Don't you fucking move!" shouted the Doctor, the gun shaking in his hand.

"Please, don't do this," said Myrik nervously. "Just take your friend and go. All the guards are outside trying to put out the fire; no one's going to stop you."

"They're all going to die," said the Doctor, his voice shaking with tension. "They're just dead men walking. And so are you."

He fired the gun.

The temple was starting to fill with smoke as the Doctor raced down the halls searching for a way out. He had thrown Rose over his shoulder to avoid aggravating the wounds on her back, and though she hadn't said anything since they'd left the basement she was moving slightly and starting to cough. He took this as a good sign because it meant she was still conscious.

After a few minutes he started to get a sense of where he was, and he reached the atrium without running into any more guards. This close to the meditation room, he could feel the quantum field generator tugging at his senses. He got halfway across the atrium before he slowed and glanced back.

He needed to get Rose back to the TARDIS as quickly as possible, and yet ... it would only take a few seconds, and this would be his only chance...

He ran back across the atrium and into the abandoned meditation room. The time box was still there waiting for him, completely unguarded on its pedestal. The Doctor lifted it with the hand that wasn't holding Rose to his shoulder, triggering the pressure plate and setting off the noisy alarm. This time, no one came running.

With the time box in one hand and Rose in the other, the Doctor sprinted out of the temple and into the burning city. The fire was everywhere now, and he had to backtrack several times to avoid areas that were too dangerous to cross. It was getting really hot, and the Doctor was sweating profusely while the smoke was making the air burn in his lungs.

One of the vendor stalls in front of him suddenly collapsed, sending burning wood and fabric into the street with a shower of sparks. The Doctor leapt back to avoid it and took a quick break from running for his life to learn forward a bit and take ragged breaths between coughs that racked his whole body. He thought he heard Rose mumble something, but he couldn't hear her over the roar of the flames and the cries of screaming people.

There was a crack to his left and a second stand started collapsing as the wood that held its roof to the counter was eaten through by the flames. The Doctor whirled around and bolted out of the way, but the market was falling to pieces around him and he was running out of places to go.

Still, he ran. There was a way out of this disaster of his own making, and he was going to find it. Rose was depending on him, after all.


	6. Epilogue

As the sun dipped under the horizon the sky was lit by roaring flames that stretched high into the night.

The marketplace had turned into a fiery inferno that was quickly spreading to the rest of the city. Thick smoke filled the air, obscuring the street leading into the town square.

Suddenly the Doctor burst out of the smoke, Rose in one arm and the quantum field generator in the other, coughing furiously from the thick smoke that threatened to choke off the air to his lungs. His throat was burning madly and he could barely see through his stinging eyes, but he continued running until he reached the edge of the forest that grew just outside the city. The TARDIS was parked right where he'd left it behind a large boulder at the top of a hill, and the Doctor didn't think he'd ever been so glad to see that beautiful blue box in his life. He slowed as he reached it and finally stopped to catch his breath.

As his lungs started to recover he crouched down to carefully set the time box on the ground, then lay down Rose with even more care and helped her sit so she wouldn't press her still-bleeding back against the grass. He rubbed her arms as she coughed uncontrollably. "It's okay. You're okay," he muttered soothingly. He pressed his face into her dark blonde hair and breathed in deep, but all he could smell was smoke.

After a while her coughing subsided and she panted for breath. Her eyes were still glazed and her pupils dilated, and she seemed to be having trouble focusing. Maybe that was for the best right now, though. With any luck the drugs would cause her to black out, and by the time they wore off she would have forgotten all about her torture and his reaction to it. Alas, for him, the image of her limp and bloody form hanging from the ceiling was going to be burned into his mind forever.

He needed to get her into the TARDIS immediately so he could run a scan on her and see to her injuries, but the Doctor couldn't resist taking a moment to look back at the flames leaping ever-higher over the once-great city. A bubble of something like hysteria rose from deep inside, and suddenly he was laughing harder than he ever had in his life.

Rose started laughing too in between a few more violent coughs. "Wha's so funny?" she giggled, squeezing him around the middle for support as she staggered to her feet.

"The Burning of Fyrlax City," he gasped out once the urge to laugh had subsided, "I wasn't just there to see it; I bloody _caused_ it! And I saved the time box! And I _got away with it_!" He laughed again for a few moments before adding, "I reached back in time and I saved it, just like I saved you, just like I saved Abella! Bloody hell, if I can do all that, I really can do just about anything, can't I?"

He turned to Rose with a wild grin, and she smiled back at him with a dreamy but fond expression. Being careful not to touch her back, the Doctor wrapped his arms around Rose's shoulders and waist and enjoyed the way she squeaked in surprise when he suddenly dipped her back and pressed his mouth to hers in a passionate kiss.

Rose mumbled something against his mouth but quickly yielded at feeling of his tongue tracing her lips, begging for entrance.

He kissed her hungrily until she started to moan discontentedly and push up against him, and he realized that she needed to breathe. So did he, for that matter. They broke apart panting, and he admired the way the light from the massive fire played across her features. He wasn't sure she entirely understood what was going on, but she was looking at him with both desire and recognition so she couldn't be completely out of it.

He turned back toward the city, unable to keep his gaze away from the historically important disaster happening right before his eyes. "Look at it, Rose," he said quietly. " _I_ made that happen. And it doesn't make a bit of difference, does it? It was going to happen whether I interfered or not. But this way, I got the time box."

Rose kept looking at his face for a few more moments, but then she tilted her head and turned to look toward the fire. "Oh!" she gasped. "Pretty!"

"It's bloody beautiful, that's what that is," said that Doctor with another wild laugh. They might be a bit bloody and battered, but they had gotten out of it alive and he had retrieved an incredibly valuable device from a fixed point in history when it would have otherwise been destroyed. He lifted Rose up around the waist and spun her in a circle, delighting in her drunken giggles, then set her back down at his side and squeezed her left hand with his right. Standing there at the edge of the disaster with firelight casting his features into sharp relief, the Time Lord Triumphant tilted his face toward the sky and laughed and laughed.

Hand in hand, they stood by the edge of the woods and watched as the city burned to the ground.


End file.
